Salem-Keizer school district has two reasons to celebrate this long weekend

The fall brings two important annual milestones for union school employees: we return to school and we celebrate Labor Day.

I have worked for the Salem-Keizer Public School district for six years. I was drawn to this position because it gave me an opportunity to work in public education. I believe that vibrant K-12 public schools are essential to our communities, and I am proud to be a part of preparing the next generation of Oregonians to take on the future.

As the lead custodian at the elementary school where I work, I have been spending weeks getting the buildings and the classrooms ready for children to return, making sure that I am creating a safe and sanitary environment for them to learn, to grow and to thrive.

Every year on the first day of school, it is exciting to see the students return, and (note) how they have grown and changed over the summer. My team and I, and everyone in our school, work hard and we put our students first, both as individuals and as members of our union.

I am proud that the 42,000 members of the Oregon Education Association are leading the fight to improve public schools in Oregon. Our union memberships help support strong advocacy to lower class sizes, increase school funding, and reduce standardized testing. OEA works to restore programs like art, music and physical education, and increase support for managing classrooms and helping students who need extra assistance for behavior issues.

Our union is also essential in helping ensure (supportive) working conditions for the custodial staff like making sure we have the right trainings and certifications to do the tasks we do on a regular basis, and representing us during contract negotiations for fair salaries and benefits.

Thanks to OEA, I have a job that allows me to provide for my family and for us to plan for the future. We have a solid foundation on which to build and essential job security, and I am never forced to work overtime that takes me away from them and reduces my quality of life.

This Labor Day is particularly important to me because as an education worker, my salary and benefits are under renewed attack by dark money special-interest groups. Through my union, the Oregon Education Association, together we are standing up against these organizations and their anti-union agenda.

In other states where unions are not as strong, educators have had to go out on strike just to make a basic living wage and to increase funding for the classroom.

In Oregon though, union members continue to stand together and we return to the classrooms union strong.

Matthew Reed is an at-large director of the Association of Salem Keizer Education Support Professionals. Reach him at mreed90@msn.com.